American Association Rules Change – Is It April Fools Day?

The American Association (independent league) recently announced a new “extra-inning tiebreaker rule” – to go into effect in the 2015 season. The basics of the rule are that, after 10 innings, each half inning will start with the team at bat having a base runner at second base (apparently this rule is already in place in the International Baseball Federation and Can-Am League). The player placed on second will be the player in the line-up immediately before the scheduled lead-off hitter for that half inning. If the player starting the inning on second base comes around to score, the tally will count (statistically) as a run for the player and (if appropriate under normal rules) an RBI for the batter who drove him in, but it will NOT count towards the pitcher’s earned-run average.

Maybe BBRT is just too “old school,” but I actually checked to make sure this change wasn’t announced on April first. This is a short rant, but let me just say, “No-o-o-o!” (Note: As a fan of the American Association’s Saint Paul Saints. I take a special interest in this rule change.)